And Then There Were None
Uploaded by Admin on Nov 16, 1999
Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, published by Washington Square Press, is regarded by most critics to be her masterpiece. After publishing almost eighty books, this was the one she was truly most proud of. Why? Mainly, because critics have quoted it to have sold more copies than Shakespeare and the Bible. However, Christie has so much more to be proud of in this novel. With an outstanding mystery/murder plot, combined with a dark, cryptic setting involving many deranged guests; one can see she has accomplished a lot in this novel.
Ten guests are invited to a mysterious island called "Indian Island". Each guest was sent invitations that were signed by people they had met before. Once the visitors arrived at the island and were aquatinted with each other, they found out that their host, U.N. Owen, (Unknown) had not arrived yet. At dinner, a strange voice was heard, accusing each of them of a murder, and which they were all guilty of. This is the rising action of the story. One by one each guest is killed off by the anonymous murderer according to a famous nursery rhyme. As more people are killed off, one by one, the group narrows the suspect list down. Hence defining the classic "Who Done It?" mystery novel.
The Characters in And Then There Were None are the ones who make the book come to life. Because this novel follows the "Who Done It" theme, there are the few obvious characters. 1) The inspector, always trying to get an accusation across as to who the murderer is(of course never correct). 2) The doctor, Devon Island's answer to the question nobody ever asked. 3) The old married couple (Mr. + Mrs. Rogers), always passionate to others, until a guest discovers an eerie secret. 4) The murderer (Justice Wargrave), finally the one guest that is portrait as the most obvious, until he dies (then comes back to life). This person always remains discrete until the last moment where he reveals that he is a rampaging, psychopathic, cold blooded killer. 5) The innocent victims, of course, what story is complete without the sad tales of innocent live being slaughtered. One or two of these characters are always the ones who you first expect, and are always at the scene of the crime...how convenient.
And Then There Were None is indeed one of the best books I have read. Simply...